God and Science
Divine Causation and the Laws of NatureBy Richard L. Thompson

Reviews

God & Science is an anthology of brief essays by expert mathematician
and investigator into East Indian cosmology and spirituality Richard L.
Thompson. Addressing the seemingly intractible rift between religious and
scientific views by exploring connections between modern science and the
Vaishnava tradition of India, a belief system based on monotheistic philosophies
that in turn share common traits with Judeo-Christian thought. Each short
essay offers a gleam of insight into the old conflict of ideas, from the
question of whether [African] Eve existed to the mysteries of consciousness,
paradoxes of time and space and more. A fascinating tour of the borders
of the mystical and the analytical, offering revelations to both sides. —Midwest
Book Review, Internet Bookwatch, Volume 14, Number 12, December
2004

Though the majority of science-and-religion books are Judeo-Christian in
nature, there has been a recent surge of spokespeople from other traditions
— namely, Buddhism, Islam and Hinduism — publishing about the harmony of
their beliefs with modern science.

God & Science is mathematician Richard Thompson’s well-written
collection of essays, showing the connection between science-and-religion
and Hinduism. Through the book, Thompson proves himself to be a thoughtful
writer with a solid mathematics and physics background. Furthermore, he
shows a clear understanding of Hindu and other religious texts and a devotional
sympathy for the Vaishnavism, a metaphysically sophisticated form of Hinduism
dedicated to the worship of Vishnu, a major Hindu god. Thompson clearly
argues that the myths surrounding Vaishnava literature can be meaningfully
interpreted in terms of current science — in conjunction with the many-worlds
theory, geological time scales or evolution.

The book’s chapter themes range from cosmology to consciousness. It
discusses rational mythology; the 1995 milk miracle, in which Hindu statues
began “drinking” milk offered to them; the advanced astronomy in works
on Hindu sacred history and much more. In the process, God & Science
explains, in laymen’s terms, some of the complex ideas of current physics.

Most technical physicists wouldn’t concur with efforts to harness physics
into a God-centered worldview, but this book will open readers’ eyes to
the richness and multiplicity in human culture. For those who take God
as the substratum of the universe, this Vaishnavite version of that conviction
will prove both interesting and insightful.

V. V. Raman is an emeritus professor at the Rochester Institute of
Technology.